Lubrication of sleeve-principle engines



1,687,494? R. B. Fnsi-.IER y f LUBRICATION -OF SLEEVE PRINCIPLE ENGINES I Fl Dec. 23, 1926 A m mmm f, ,dass

Patented oef. 1e, 192s.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT B. FISHER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T SKINNER AUTOMOTIVE DE- VICE C0., INC., OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

LUBRICATION 0F SLEEVE-IPRINCIPLE ENGINES.

Application led December 23, 1926. Serial No. 156,542.

`l0 cylinder intake-port to prevent it from being sucked or drawn into the latter, by reason of' the specified sub-atmospheric pressure present there, and uselcssly burned in the cylinder. l

With this and other advantageousl objects in view, the present invention has `been provided, a preferred embodiment of which is illust-rated in the accompanying drawing, throughout the views of which like reference characters have been employed to designate the same parts.

In this drawing: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, central, vertical sectionthrough one cylinder of a multi-cylinder, internal-combustion, sleeve-type engine incorporating the features of construction of the present invention, the oil-rectifier being shown on a smaller scale;

Fig. '2 is a fragmentarhorizontal sect-ion on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a similar, vertical section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Upon having recourse to these views of the drawing, it will be seen that the water-jacke eted, engine-cylinder 11 has the usual inlet and exhaust ports 12 and 13, respectively, and inner and outer, ported, reciprocatory sleeves 14 and 15 in the order stated, the piston within the inner sleeve and its connecting-rod not ,being shown because their constructions and functions are well understood, it being born in mind that the cylinder, sleeves, and piston are lubricated in any approved fashion. The'cylinder side-wallbelow and in line or longitudinal alignment with the cylinder intake-port 12 is supplied with an oil-withdrawal port 16 connected to an external,tu

loular manifold l17 extended horizontally along the sides of, and similarly joined to the lo corresponding ports of, all-of the several engine-cylinders, such. manifold being connect-v ed by-a pipev 18 to an oil rectifier or purifier 19 of known design united by a pipe 21 tothe engine intake-manifold, or othersuitable,sub atmospheric producing means,l which supplies the suction for withdrawing the impure oil through the engine-cylinder ports 16, the. rectiiier having a discharge-pipe 22 for delivering the reclaimed or purified oil back to the engine crank-case for further use, it being understood that the volatile and vaporizable, contaminating ingredients of the impure oil, gasified or vaporized in the rectilier, pass on into the intake-manifold, and are burned in the engine, the distillation or vaporization chamber of the rectifier being heated by an encasing jacket 23, through which a portion of the exhaust gases of the engine pass, if needed to supply the required degree of temperature. f

In some cases, such purification of the oil is not required, and, under such circumstances, the rectifier may be omitted, but it and its connections must be replaced by an appropriate pump or other means for producing the required suction and the delivery of the oil at atmospheric pressure. A

The outer, reciprocatory sleeve 15 has a slot or port 20 therethrough in register with the cylinder-port 16, and of a length suiiicient to maintain constant communication therewith during the travel of the Sleeve, such outer sleeve also having around itsexternal, cylindrical surface a number of horizontal, spaced, oil-distributing grooves 24, 24, the upper ones, characterized 25, of which intersectand therefore communicate with such slot or ort 20-l The inner sleeve on its outer sur ace has a number of vertically-separated, horizontal, oil grooves 26, 26 which do not extend all the wayl around the sleeve, but terminate at the spaced points 27, 2S atthc back of the sleeve as viewed in Fig. 1.

Such inner sleeve also has, on its external, cylindrical surface, a similar, upper, horiznntal groove 29 beginning at the point 31 and extending almost all the way around the sleeve to the point 32.

Such groove or channel 29 connects with the lower end of an. upright groove 33 likewise cut orloeated in the outer face of the inner sleeve. Y l A` portl ithroughthe outer sleeve is in longitudinal alignment with the groove 33, and the Aexternal face 'of the outer sleeve has an inclined groove 35 connecting at its lower end with such port and opening at its top end into the sealing-head compartment of the engine-cylinder.

'VVhem therefore, the port 34 overlaps the groove 33 during the relative travel of the sleeves, the continuous suction at the cylinderport 16, derived from the sub-atmospheric pressure in the intake-manifold through the rectifier, will be exerted on the sealing-head eompartm ent to withdraw or abstract the contents or `a portion of the contentsof the latter. It is desirable to draw some of the oily vapor from the top part of the crank-ease of the engine into such scaling-head compartment to assure adequate lubrication of the upper lportions of the sleeves, the excess of such oil thus introduced into such chamber being removed by the suction means already described.'

To this end, a groove 36, partly inc-lined and partly straight or vertical, as depicted in Fig.

. l, is cut in the Qouter surface of the inner sleeve, its upper, open end being in constant communication withthe sealing-head chamber, its lower end terminating at such a point, as shown, that part of the time it will be uncovered by the chamfered or beveled, lower end 37 of the outer sleeve, and will be covered thereby during the remainder of the time.

lVhen the piston is at the top, dead-center on the firing stroke, that is to say, when it has just completed the compression of the gaseous fuel-mixture, and is about to start down on its explosion stroke, the grooves 35 and 33 are in connection with one another through the port 34 and the contents of the sealing-head compartment are being withdrawn through groove 29, port 20 and the eylinder-port 16 into the rectifier, but, at this time, the port 34 is rapidly receding upwardly from the channel-33, and the connection between them is completely severed when the piston has descended approximately one hundred degrees.

During about the next thirty-live degrees of downward travel of the piston, there is no communication with the sealing-head compartment.

Atabout this point (one hundred and Athirty-five degrees) the channel 36 in the outer siu'face of the inner sleeve begins to be uncovered by the chamfer 37 of the outer sleeve, thus establishing a connection between the sealing-head compartment and the upper portion of the engine crank-ease, and the oily va or of the latter is sucked through such condult into the compartment by the partial vacuum therein at the time of establishing such connection, which is accentuated by the combined downward travel of the two sleeves.

Such inflow of oily vapor continues while the piston travels through approximately two hundred and fifty-live degrees, or until the,

piston is about thirty degrees past top deadcent-er on the intake cycle or stroke.

At such thirty-degree position of the piston the channel 36 becomes closed by the chamfer.

ofthe outer sleeve.

During the period the piston travels from this three hundred and ninety degree position (thirty degrees beyond top dead-center) to its four hundred and twenty degree position (sixty degrees beyond top dead-center), there is no connection with the sealing-head compartment.

At about this four hundred and twenty degree point, port 34 establishes connection between channels 35, 33 and 32, ports 20 and 16, and the rectifier, thus initiating the suction withdrawal of the fluid contents of the sealing-head compartment,` this removal being facilitated and accentuated by the upward travel of the sleeves, which obviously reduces the volume of such compartment.

This lubricant removal or withdrawal continues until the piston reaches approximately its eight hundred and twenty degree position, which is about one hundred degrees beyond top dead-center, being the one hundred degrecs first mentioned above.

Hence, the suction removal occurs during about four hundred degrees of travel of the piston, the lubricant inflow into the compartment takes place during approximately two hundred and fifty-live degrees of piston movement, and lsuch compartment is shut oft' from bothconnections during two periods of about thirty degrees and thirty-five degrees, respectively, between the breaking and making of the specified connections.

This suction withdrawal of the contents of the sealing-head compartment allows an undesirable pressure, which would otherwise tend to be built up and sealed in such compartment, thus precluding the proper u ward travel ot lubricating oil around the s eeves, to be exhausted from such chamber, with the resulting avoidance of its objectionable characteristics.

- During the descent and consequent v displacement of the sleeves, as specified above, the already existing vacuum in the sealing head compartment is increased, thereby as suring a more efficient flow of the oily Vapor from the crank-case thereinto through the relatively small sleeve-duct 36.

Were all of the oil thus introduced into the sealinghead compartment permitted to remain therein, it would probably be excessive in amount to effect the needed brication of the upper end portions of the sleeves, and, accordingly, it is of advantage to draw olf at. least a portion of it.

In this connection, it should be noted that the oil is injected into such compartment at one point and is withdrawn at a point roughly one hundred and eighty degrees therefrom, thus causing the oil to travel around the tops of the sleeves, effecting their efficient lubrication.

It will be observed 'that the groove 36 is 1o cated between the ends of the oil grooves around the inner sleeve, so that there is no coniict between them or direct connection.

both sleeves by reason of the presence of they outer sleeve-port 20, and hence it prevents an excess of oil from reaching the cylinder intake-port 12, as otherwise an undue quantity of lubricant would probably enter the. tiring chamber through the iiiletqiort of cylinder and sleeves and be uselessly consumed therein.

This last-specified oil withdrawn makes it desirable to lubricate the sealinghead compartment as stated to compensate for the loss of oil which would otherwise iind its way into such compartment along the sleeves.

The extracted oil may be more or less impure, and it is purilied in the rectifier and returned to the crank-case of the engine in the well-known manner, the air, gases, vapors, etc., in the rectifier iiowing through the intake-manifold into the cylinders, where they are burned to an economic advantage.

Obviously, many changes may bemade in the structure presented and still it would incorporate the fundamental principles of the invention as deiined by the appended claims; for example, the source of oil supply need not necessarily be the oily vapor in the crank-case, as other connections may be made with difierent sources of lubricant-supply.

Furthermore, the intake-manifold suction neednot indispensably be employed as the means for withdrawing,r the oil, since other equivalent means could be readily substituted, and, in some cases, pressures greater than atmospheric could be used satisfactorily, instead of employing pressures below that of the atmosphere to accomplish the stated results.

I claim:

'1. In an internal-combustion engine, an engine-cylinder having intake, exhaust and oil ports, means to apply suction at said oil-port, movable sleeves in said cylinder controlling said intake and exhaust ports, means to move said sleeves, means to contain a lubricant supply, a conduit connecting the sealing-head compartment of the engine with said lubricant-supply means opened and closed by the movement ot at least one of said sleeves, and a conduit adapted to connect said sea1inghead compartment with said oil-port opened and closed by the movement of at least one of said sleeves.

2. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination of an engine-cylinder having intake, exhaust and oil ports, means to apply suction at said oil-port, movable sleevesin said cylinder controlling said intake and exhaust ports, means to move said sleeves, means to contain a lubricant-supply, a conduit com necting said sealing-head compartment of the engine with said lubricant-supply'means, and a conduit adapted to connect said sealinghead compartment with said oil-port opened and closed by the movement of at least one of said sleeves.

3. In an internal-combustion -engine, the combination of an engine-cylinder having intake, exhaust and oil ports, means to apply suction at said oil-port, sleeve means in said cylinder controlling said intake and exhaust ports, means to move said sleeve means, means v to contain a lubricant-supply, a conduit conn necting the sealing-head compartment of the engine with said lubricant-supply means opened intermittently by the movements o said sleeve means, and a conduit adapted to connect said sealing-head compartment with said oil-port opened intermittently `by the movements of said sleeve means'.

4. In an`internal-combustion engine, the

combination of an engine-cylinder having intake, exhaust and oil ports, means to. apply suction at said oil-port, sleeve means in said cylinder controlling said intake and exhaust ports, means to move said sleeve means, means to contain a lubricant-supply, a conduit connecting the sealing-head compartment of the engine with said lubricant-supply means opened intermittently by the movements of said sleeve means, and a conduit adapted to connect said sealing-head compartment with said oil-port opened intermittently by the movements of said sleeve means during periods of closure of said iirst conduit.

' 5. In an internal-combustion engine, the' combination-ot an engine-cylinder having intake, exhaust and oil ports, a lubrication-sys tem, movable inner and outer sleeves in .said cylinder controlling said intake and exhaust ports, a conduit adapted to connect the sealing-head compartment of the engine with said lubricationsystem, and a conduit adapted to connect said sealing-head compartment with said cylinder oil-port,the movements of said sleeves relative to one another opening and closing said conduits.

6. In an internal-combustion engine. the

combination of an engine-cylinder having intake and exhaust ports and an oil-port through its side-wall in lsubstantial alignment with said intake-port, a-crank-case containing lubricant, inner and outer movable sleeves in said cylinder having oil grooves, said outer sleeve having a port in register with said cylinder-wall oilport and in communication with at least some of said sleeve-grooves, said sleeves having a conduit adapted to connect the sealing-head compartment of the engine with its crank-ease, the movements of the sleeves opening and closing said conduit, means to establish suction at said cylinderwall oil-port, and a conduit adapted to conneet said cylinder-wall oil-port with said sealfeo ing-head compartment, the movements of said sleeves opening and closing said latter conduit.

7. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination of an engine-cylinder having intake and exhaust ports, movable sleeve means in said cylinder controlling said ports, means to move said sleeve means, and means to aptake and exhaust ports. movable sleeve means in said cylinder controlling said ports, means to move said sleeve means, sald sleeve means having a conduit therein connecting with the i sealing-head compartment of the engine and With a port through the engine cylinder-wall, the movements of said sleeve means opening and'closing said conduit, and means toapply suction to said cylinder-wall port.

9. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination of an engine-cylinder having intake and exhaust ports, movable sleeve means in said cylinder controlling said ports and having oil passage means, means to move said vsleeve means, and means including said oil passage means to introduce lubricant inter mittently into the sealing-head compartment of the engine.

10. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination of an engine-cylinder having intake and exhaust ports, movable sleeve means in said cylinder controlling said ports and having oil passage means, means to move'- said sleeve means, and means including said oil passage means to 'remove lubricant intermittently from the sealing-head compartment of the engine.

11. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination of an engine-cylinder having intake and exhaust ports, movable sleeve means` in said cylinder controlling said ports and having oilpassage means, means to move said sleeve means, means including oil passage means of said sleeve means to introduce lubricant intermittently into the sealing-head compartment of the engine, and means including oil passa e means of said sleeve means to re- I move lu ricantintermittently from said sealing-head compartment.

12. In 'an internal-combustion engine, the combination of an engine-cylinder having in take and exhaust ports, movable sleeve means in said cylinder controlling said ports and l having oil passage means, means to move said sleeve means, means including oil passage means of said sleeve means to introduceflubricant intermittently ito the sealing-head compartment of the engine, and means including oil passage means of said sleeve means to remove lubricant intermittently from said sealing-head compartment during the periods said lubricant-introducing means is inactive.

13. In an internal-combustion engine, the combination of an engine-cylinder having intake and exhaust ports, movable sleeve means in said cylinder controlling said ports and having oil passage means, suction means in- Y 'sealing-head compartment of the engine, and

suction means including oil passage means of said sleeve means to remove lubricant intermittently from said sealing-head compartment during inactive periods of saidlubricant-introducing means, the degree of suc"- tion'of said first suction means being greater than that of the second suction means.

' 15. In an internal-combustion engine, the

lcombination of an engine-cylinder having intake, exhaust and oil ports, means to apply suction to the oil-port, movablesleeves in said cylinder controlling said intake and exhaust ports, means to move said sleeves, and means to contain a lubricant-supply, said sleeves having a conduit connecting thesealing-head lill) compartment of the engine with said lubri` cant-supply meansopened and closed by the y movement of said sleeves and a conduit` adapted to connectsaid sealing-head compartment with said oil-port. l

16. In an internal-combustion engine, an engine-cylinder having intake, exhaust and oil ports, means to apply suction at'said oilport, movable sleeves, in said cylinder controlling said intake and exhaust ports, means to move said sleeves` and means to contain a lubricant-supply, said sleeves having a conduit connecting the sealing-head compartmentof the engine with said lubricant-supply vmeans opened and closed by the movement iao A 'ing-head compartment of the engine with said lubricant-supply means and a conduit adapt to connect said .sea].ing-head compartment with said oil-port opened and' closed by the movements of at least one of said sleeves.

18. In an internal-combustion engine, the

.combination of an engine-cylinder having intake, exhaust and oil ports, means to apply suction to said oil-port, sleeve means in said cylinder controlling said Aintake and exhaust ports, means to move said sleeve means, and means `Vto contain `a lubricant-supply, said sleeve means having a conduit connecting the sealing-head lcompartment of the engine with 'said lubricant-supply means opened intermittently by the movements of said sleeve means and a conduit adapted to connect said sealing-head compartment with said `oil-port opened intermittently Aby the movements of said sleeve means.

19. In an internallcombustion engine, the

' combination of an engine-cylinder having intake, exhaust and oil ports, means` to apply suction at said oil-port, sleeve means in said cylinder controlling 'said intake and exhaust ports, means to move said sleeve means, and means to contain a lubricant-supply, said sleeve means having a conduit connecting the sealing-head compartment oi the engine with said lubricant-supply means opened intermittently by the movements of said sleeve means, and a conduit adapted to connect said sealing-head compartment with said oil-port 20. In an internal-combustion engine, the f combination of an engine-cylinder having in# take, exhaust and oil ports, a lubrication-system, movable inner and outer sleeves in `said cylinder controllingsaid intake and exhaust ports, and means to move said sleeves, such sleeves having a conduit adapted to connect the sealing-head compartment of the engine with` said lubrication system and a conduit adapted to connect said sealing-head compartment with said cylinder oil-port, the movements of said sleeves relative to one another opening and closing said conduits.

. 21.4 In an internal-combustion engine, the combination oan engine-cylinder having in- `take and exhaust ports', movable sleeve means in said cylinder governing the opening` and closing of said cylinder ports, means to move said sleevemeans, means to apply suction periodically to the sealing-head compart- ,ment of the engine tending to Withdraw its contents, means to increase the suction condition in said sealing-headl compartment after the termination oi' each period of such suction application, and means subsequent to each suction-increase period to connect said seal` ing-head compartment to a source of lubricant supply, whereby lubricant is drawn into said compartment by such augmented suction and the excess removed later by the suction application to the compartment.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

ROBERT B. FISHER. [n 8.] 

